An Inconvenient Bet

Chapter Twenty Eight

My graduation cap felt itchy on my head where the sun was beating down and I swear if the tassel flew into my eyeline one more time I was going to take the stupid thing off. As grateful as I was that the weather was beyond beautiful, with the gown as an additional layer along with the cap, I really was beginning to melt.

I readjusted my outfit underneath my gown. I had decided on a green knee length dress with a cow line neckline, the dress hugged my figure nicely. It had taken my mum and I a while to choose it, but the minute we had seen it, I knew I had to get it. I had paired it with gold and white platforms that had turned out to be rather interesting for manoeuvring across a field.

Graduation in the sunshine had sounded delightful until every female in the senior class had decided to dress up and realised just how hard it was to get from the bleachers to the entrance without face-planting.

As I continued the walk towards my seat with Aria, my chunky heel ever so slightly caught on something and I accidentally bumped into someone else's back as I steadied my footing.

"Sorry," I apologised and it was only when I looked up after re-gaining my balance that I noticed I had collided with Britney.

"Actually, I take that back," I snapped back, composing myself. and readjusting my cap, for what felt like the twentieth time today.

She rolled her eyes at me, but a smile tugged at her lips, "I suppose I probably deserved that," she admitted.

"You think?" I asked back, knowing there was sarcasm and anger in my voice.

"I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot," Britney said with an exasperated sigh as if she was admitting defeat.

"Which time exactly are you referring to?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"You did completely embarrass her in front of most of our senior class," Aria spoke up next to me, her voice cold and short.

"Look Sophie, the difference between you and me is that Carter loves you more than he ever even liked me and I shouldn't have torn you down, just because I was jealous," she admitted and I felt some of the resentment I felt towards her, slowly disappear. "Girls are supposed to stick together and I'm sorry for not behaving like I should have done," she added, this time her voice sincere.

I was trying to put the right words together, because I had always suspected that Britney had wanted to be loved, just like I had secretly wanted and I had learnt that it was always better to rise above other people's expectations about you, than to constantly fight fire with fire. If I had learnt anything this year, it had been to know when to stop fighting either against or for things, that no longer needed to be fought for.

"I always knew you were jealous," I replied, with a smirk and Britney couldn't help but match my smiling face.

"It's probably too late to be friends, but for what it's worth, Carter is a bigger idiot than I ever expected if he lets you go," she smiled, before sticking her hand out to me, "truce?"

I half laughed and put my hand into hers, "truce."

She shook my hand briefly and with one final smile, she disappeared towards her seat with her friends following behind her. I watched as she took her seat and her eyes met mine.

"One more thing Wilson, take it as a graduation present," she said loud enough that I could hear her and I was expecting her to throw something at me, whether it be a petite nice gift or a pile of mud; you never could be sure with her. Except nothing came and instead I looked around me confused.

I looked at her again trying to understand and around at Aria and Noah who looked just as clueless as I did.

I turned to say something to Aria when I heard my voice being called through the crowds of people. Either I was imagining Carter's voice or it was him saying my name repeatedly. I turned to Aria and Noah confused as they put their hands up, pleading innocence.

"Maybe hear him out," Aria suggested just as Carter burst through the space around us and was standing before me.

His gown draped over his black suit and I felt my breath get caught as I took him in. He really was a sexy man, especially where his hair had become a floppy mess and the sun caught his eyes. Seriously, was this guy photoshopped?

I looked over at Britney who gave me a big smile and I knew she must have told him I was already here. I had been ignoring his calls and texts every time he tried to get in contact and I had already had enough drama for this school year. Couldn't a girl have a simple day and graduate without people wanting to make amends all day.

I noticed his cap clenched in his fist as he made his way in my direction.

"Carter, we've been through this, we don't work," I said, sighing at him.

He half laughed, "I think you're wrong," he said and I noticed some people had turned around to see what was happening.

This was my worst nightmare; the last time Carter ran his mouth the entire senior class found out he'd slept with me. On the bright side, it technically couldn't get any worse than that, however, knowing Carter anything was possible.

"What if we just acknowledged that we had a relationship and that we completely sucked at it?" I suggested and I heard Noah snigger beside me, Carter and I shot him a look simultaneously.

"We were never in a relationship, Saf," he said and he might as well have stabbed me in the heart because that's what it felt like.

"Thanks for the reminder," I replied sarcastically.

He laughed shaking his head at me, "you're infuriating, you know that."

I crossed my arms, "what are you doing here Carter?" I asked, hoping he wasn't going to sarcastically reply 'graduating' because I would very politely smack him if he did.

"Look, I know I fucked everything up, alright?" he started. "I'm an idiot and you're right I was lying to myself about how I feel about you."

There was a hush around me as everyone craned their necks to listen as best they could.

"I'm hot tempered and an arsehole sometimes, but you make me a better person, even when you drive me crazy, even my mum could see that," he continued.

"What?" I asked, how would his mum know that?

He waved a hand as if to say it wasn't important and he took another step closer so that he was only a metre away and I could feel all the air get caught in my lungs as he took my breath quite literally away.

"I don't deserve you and I probably don't deserve your forgiveness, but I'm really hoping you're going to give it to me anyway," he said pausing, giving me his signature grin. "Because the thing is, I'm completely and utterly in love with you Saf and I always have been."

For the first time in my life, I had no witty comeback with Carter, instead I was frozen and speechless. I heard Aria half squeal beside me and a faint murmur around me and right now I wished he had said this anywhere else, then surrounded by everyone in our school, in the middle of graduation.

"What?" I asked, the only word that I managed to form.

"I realised how I despise the way you react to every little thing; your mind practically spinning in front of me and yet I like the way your sensitivity means you care about something, about everything and for some unknown reason, about me. You drive me crazy for always provoking me and sometimes I say the wrong things and yet despite everything you do, I love you for exactly who you are," he added and I once again I couldn't think of anything to say.

I tried to string a sentence together, I really tried and yet as the smile grew on my lips, I knew there was nothing I could say.

Except, the first thing I needed, possibly the only thing, was to kiss him and I did, for the longest time.

"Does that mean?" he asked, breaking the kiss.

I clasped my hands around his neck, "it means I'm pretty sure I have a boyfriend at graduation," I said with a smirk, knowing full well that I was teasing him on purpose, attempting to make him wait just the tiniest bit longer.

"And?" he said, pushing me to say more and I couldn't help laughing at his uneasy face.

"And, I happen to be in love with you too," I replied and with that he kissed me again, his hands bunching up my gown into his hands as his grip on my waist tightened.